Hopes and Dreams
by Knights Templar
Summary: Chapter 6 is up, sorry it took so long, i hope you do enjoy this chapter, it won't take so long next time.
1. Default Chapter

Hopes and Dreams  
  
A/N: Hey all, yes if you are wondering I am starting a new Robotech Fic, but I don't plan on leaving What If unfinished, it's just that I wanted to get this one under way too, an if I get positive feedback I will continue both at the same time. This Fic starts around Seasons Greetings, a little earlier and I've had to fudge the timeline a little, namely having Khyron attack on X-mas Eve instead of X-mas. Then after that it should take the normal timeline, well as normal as it can be with me guiding the story. Anyway I hope you like this one like some people liked What If.  
  
Rick lay on his bed not bothering to get under the covers he was too tired. It had been a long and unusual week. First he had found that forest out in the mountain region and had decided that he would ask Lisa to join him for a picnic.  
  
An it seemed then Rick felt that he was truly happy then and for the first time in what seemed like months he had forgotten about Minmei. An that morning as Rick got ready to meet Lisa at her place so they could go to the picnic spot he had picked out, Minmei called.  
  
An to Rick it seemed like a simple choice, he would stand Lisa up for a few hours and go see Minmei and then run back and have their picnic with Lisa. But how wrong Rick would find out he would be.  
  
Meeting Minmei turned into an all day affair and then there was the incident in Chez Mann with her cousin Kyle. It seemed to Rick then that Minmei was more Kyle's then she would ever be his. It was then that he started to regret leaving Lisa waiting to come and meet Minmei.  
  
Then as Rick made his way back to Macross, Zentraedi attacked an Airport and started to rampage all over the place. Rick then found himself in a Destroid going to save the beleaguered airport.  
  
It was yet another delay in his what had become a frantic dash to get back to Lisa in time and just try to explain himself to her. The as Rick got closer to the restaurant he saw Lisa sitting on a park bench waiting patiently for him.  
  
For the first time in the long time Rick had known Lisa he saw something that opened his eyes. Here she was after god knows how long of waiting for him she had stayed and when she saw him she did all of all things smile.  
  
This made Rick wince on the inside, he has left her here all day and when he got back to their agreed meeting place she smiled at him and gave him a happy "Hello, how are you?" Rick felt the guilt crush him. It was then that he realized that Lisa cared for him much more then a friend, it was possible that she loved him.  
  
An as he walked up to Lisa he tried to explain himself but she silenced him, and told him that they still had enough time to go for a walk. But then Rick tried to put the scarf hat Minmei had given him around Lisa, and it was then that he noticed a change in Lisa's demeanor.  
  
"Get that thing off me!" Lisa wailed, it was then that Rick knew he had made a mistake, Lisa had recognized the perfume. She stormed off and got a little ways turning and yelling at him to not bother calling her.  
  
He hadn't bothered trying to chase after her; he knew that she was far too mad for anything that he could have said to make her stop. So Rick just stood there watching Lisa walk away from him with this feeling that he had just ruined something very dear between him and Lisa.  
  
Then the snow started to fall and Rick found himself alone again in this large devastated world with both the women he cared for either mad at him or un able to see him. Rick felt terrible at what he had done for Lisa; an he was determined to makeup for it.  
  
Rick got up off his bed and went to his closet, he pulled out a warm coat and walked to his dresser and grabbed his wallet. He was going out to get Lisa a Christmas present, an then when he saw her later he would invite her to join him for Christmas.  
  
Rick tried to smile, but he couldn't it seemed that his entire life was falling apart around him. Rick walked out the door, and by chance took the left once he got to the end of his drive and rounded the corner.  
  
Lisa walked around Macross feeling alone, but for her that was nothing unusual, she was accustomed to feeling alone. She had been alone ever since Riber had died and after yesterday with Rick she knew that she had lost him, but Lisa was a fighter.  
  
She looked at her watch and noticed she had two hours before she had to go on duty back at the SDF-1 before she got off for Christmas. Lisa's face fell more, she didn't like Christmas, she never had, it was just another time for her to feel miserable as she saw all the happy couples.  
  
Lisa wandered some more and found herself rounding the corner to Rick's place and wondered how she had let herself get back to his place. She already knew the answer to that and answered herself with a rueful smile, 'It's because you're in love with him, and no matter what he does to you, you will always love him,' Lisa shook her head and tried to force out such thoughts, but she knew it was true.  
  
If only Rick would see how much she cared about him, how much she was willing to give up for him. But she knew that no matter what she tried all Rick would see was Minmei. An for some reason she couldn't fault him, 'How can someone like me, a career military officer with no looks and no voice compete with the war winning Miss Macross?'  
  
But Lisa, if she had waited for another moment might have seen Rick come back with an armload of gifts and groceries. But she turned her back on his place and for the time being stopped any chance meeting between her and Rick.  
  
Lisa walked back to her place and started to change into her uniform and looked at herself in the mirror and all she saw was a pale, skinny military officer with athletic looks. What she didn't see was beautiful emerald eyes, long shapely legs, nice honey brown hair and a pretty face.  
  
Lisa gave another glance at her watch and saw she had twenty minutes to get to the SDF-1 and decided she would stop by Rick's to wish him an early Merry Christmas. She put on her large winter coat and walked out the door with good intentions in mind.  
  
Rick worked in his apartment cooking and wrapping at the same time with skill and speed he didn't know he had. Rick smiled and was sure that he would get Lisa to come over and have a good time with him.  
  
He walked over and checked the roast in the over and made sure that the over was set just right so as to not burn the roast. Rick went back to wrapping and was surprised when he heard a knock at the door. He smiled and hoped that it was Lisa, but when he opened the door he saw that it was not Lisa, but instead it was Minmei.  
  
Minmei looked at Rick solemnly and asked if she could come in. Rick nodded his head and told her that her that he was expecting company in a few hours. Minmei looked at him, "Really? Who? Is it the Sterling's, oh I would love to see them again. Can I stay?" Rick didn't quite know what to say so he didn't say anything.  
  
But another knock at Rick's door brought him out of his deep stupor and he went to the door to open it and saw Lisa standing there in a heavy winter coat. Rick blanched and knew that he was in a spot as Lisa looked in and saw presents on the table and smelled the food cooking. Then Minmei came bounding up to Rick's shoulder.  
  
Lisa's eye's widened and backed away a bit, "Oh I'm sorry to disturb you Rick I didn't know you had company over, well I just came by to wish you an early Merry Christmas. I have to be going now." An Lisa started to walk down the side walk as fast as she could, and Rick stood there in the door way watching Lisa walk away and Minmei on his shoulder asking him who that was.  
  
Rick realized then what he had to do he turned on Minmei, "Minmei, I am going to have to ask you to leave, please." An without waiting for any protests he grabbed his keys and pushed Minmei out the door and locked it. He took off down the street after Lisa.  
  
But Minmei jumped in front of him, "What do you think you are doing? I thought all those gifts and dinner where for me and you?" Minmei wailed. But Rick just shook his head and tried to push her out of the way. But Minmei wouldn't get out of his way.  
  
"Please Rick, don't do this, not when I just realized how much you mean to me. Don't leave me. Rick I am so alone," Minmei latched onto his arm with a vice like grip. Rick managed to pull out of it and looked at Minmei, "I'm sorry, but there is something I have to do," Rick didn't saw another word.  
  
Rick took off for the SDF-1 where he knew Lisa was on shift. Rick ran with all his heart, he didn't know when Lisa had become so important to him, but all knew was he had to make it up to her, an he would do just that because...he loved her?  
  
Lisa got to her position on the SDF-1 and saw all the familiar faces. She smiled, but it was a halfhearted smile. Lisa, deep down was in shambles, Rick had gone too all that trouble for Minmei, an now she saw that Minmei had won.  
  
As she stood at her position an thought over what had happened a sudden flurry of movement brought Lisa back to reality, Lisa cringed, reality hurt. Reality was the place where Minmei had won and Lisa was left alone again, but back to reality she was nonetheless.  
  
"Admiral, we have Zentraedi attacking the storage district of the City," Vanessa reported, "It seems that they are just attacking the storage district." Gloval clenched his jaw, he knew who this was. There was only one Zentraedi bold enough to make a strike directly at Macross.  
  
"Order all RDF and CD units to surround the storage district, don't let any Zentraedi out, we will get Khyron this time." All the bridge crew set about there work. Gloval smiled as he watched his "family" start to get the job done.  
  
Rick heard the sounds of fighting and ran for the hangers and got into his VT and taxies to the runway and took off. "This is Skull Leader to Bridge, what's going on down there?" A shocked Lisa came onto his screen, "What are you doing out here Commander Hunter, your not on active right now."  
  
Rick gritted his teeth, "Lisa just tell me where to enemy is at." Lisa looked at him and her face softened, "The Zentraedi are attacking the storage district, it doesn't seem that they are trying to cause damage, it seems like they are more looking for something."  
  
"Thank you," Rick said, "An Lisa, when this is all over, I want to talk to you." Lisa's face fell and the Bridge looked at her as Rick signed off. Lisa only sighed thinking that it was the worst thing imaginable, but she went back to her job.  
  
Rick cruised his VT in to see RDF and Zentraedi unites fighting urban style in the storage district. Rick swooped down and loosed a flock of missiles on a group of unsuspecting Zentraedi in body armor. Rick pulled the G lever and landed on the carnage he had just wrought.  
  
Rick didn't have long to stand around, he saw a group of hard charging Zentraedi in nothing but Body Armor make a run at his position. Rick remained calm and switched to Battloid and stood his ground hosing the incoming Zentraedi with rounds.  
  
The Zentraedi fell under the weigh of his barrage and Rick hit the foot thrusters and saw that the RDF and CD units where doing there job well and were corralling the Zentraedi into a kill sac. Rick looked off to the SDF-1 and saw a few Zentraedi make a run for the Control Bridge and Rick didn't wait, he hit the thrusters and took off as fast as he could for the Bridge.  
  
Rick arrived just in time to put a few rounds into the first Zentraedi offender trying to destroy the bridge. Rick then positioned himself between the Bridge and the remaining Zentraedi. Rick then noticed one of them was more aggressive then the others and recognized the markings as Khyron.  
  
The Zentraedi made a move for Rick in hopes of overwhelming him, but Rick remained cool and fired at the, making short work of the four that had come at him. That left only Khyron, and Rick could see that he was having second thoughts about making a run at the Bridge.  
  
So Rick made the decision and made a run at him and fired, but missed. Khyron even in Power Armor was still nimble and dangerous. But even Khyron was not foolish enough to take on a VT defending the Bridge with more and more VT moving to help. So Khyron made the decision to run taking to heart the saying, "Those who run today, live to fight another day," But Khyron had one more surprise. He pulled out a detonator and pushed the button and dozens of explosions all over Macross lit the city up like a Fourth of July party.  
  
Rick saw the explosions and made for the Prometheus to load up on fire retardant bombs. For the next three hours Skull Squadron and the rest of the RDF and CD units fought the first that raged all over the city. When Rick landed he was more exhausted then he had ever been.  
  
Rick looked at his watch and saw that it was almost ten PM. Rick went to a phone and buzzed Lisa only to find that she had left an hour ago. Rick hung up the phone and called her place and after a few rings he hung up.  
  
Rick changed quickly and made his way for Lisa's and knocked on the door and waited. After what seemed like an eternity Lisa came to the door with a surprised look, "Rick, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home with Minmei?" Lisa regretted what she said immediately.  
  
Rick's eye's narrowed but he told himself he wouldn't get mad. SO instead he laughed, "I told you I wanted to talk to you when all this was over an now it's over. Can I come in?" Rick asked. Lisa slightly confused let him.  
  
Lisa went and sat down on the couch and Rick followed her and stood in front of her. "Lisa there was something I was going to ask you before all this," Rick made a gesture out the window to the still glowing Macross City. Lisa raised an eyebrow.  
  
"When you came over today when Minmei came over, all that wasn't for her," Rick stopped and laughed and looked at Lisa and saw a puzzled look on her face, "it was for you. I was going to invite you over tonight so we could have Christmas tomorrow."  
  
Lisa's jaw dropped. She was completely floored. Lisa couldn't say anything and saw the triumphant look on Rick's face. Lisa came back to reality and stood up, "But I didn't get you anything, I mean I didn't know, but still I didn't get you anything." Rick grabbed Lisa's hands and held them.  
  
"Lisa it would be enough of a Christmas present for you to come over and spend it with me, I mean I know you got all sorts of guys just lined up waiting for you, but if you wouldn't mind spend Christmas with me, I'd be very happy." Rick smiled as he finished.  
  
Lisa felt her legs go weak and so did Rick cause he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, she smiled at the joke and felt her eye's begin to water, "But Rick, what about Minmei?" Rick hugged her tighter.  
  
"Lisa you don't have to worry about Minmei, she is lost to me," Rick stopped and pulled back from Lisa with a guilty look on his face, "Lisa, I want to tell you I am so sorry for standing you up." Rick looked at her with a sincere look and she saw the guilt in his baby blue eyes.  
  
Lisa hugged him, "It's ok, I forgive you for being stupid," Lisa joked in his ear and she could feel him laugh a little.  
  
Lisa had one more question, "But one more thing Rick," Lisa began thinking the question out in her head, "Why would you go through all the trouble to make a dinner and et gifts for an ugly, career officer like me?" Lisa asked.  
  
Rick's eye's clouded and he looked her straight in her eyes, "Lisa, you are not ugly, you are far from it. Lisa you are a ..." Rick thought a moment, "you are a goddess." Rick finished and saw the genuinely happy look on Lisa's face. He saw her eye's water.  
  
"Lisa don't cry, I hate to see you cry, I just want you to be happy because I..." Rick stopped and thought a moment about what he was about to say. He felt Lisa's anticipation.  
  
Lisa's heart jumped at what Rick was saying an then he stopped and Lisa felt anticipation welling up in him, so she decided she would say it first, "Rick," Lisa started feeling herself waver, "Rick, I love you," Lisa felt as if an enormous rock had been taken off her chest and looked up at Rick's face expecting to find shock bus instead say a smile.  
  
Rick pulled Lisa in and kissed her and felt her go rigid but then she opened up to him and allowed him to slide his tongue into her mouth. When they broke the kiss Rick looked at Lisa and smiled, "I know you do, I realized that when I stood you up and saw you still waiting for me, an now I have something to say, Lisa Hayes, I love you." Rick looked at Lisa and saw tears stream down her face.  
  
Rick hugged her again and looked at her, "So what do you saw we go back to my place, I don't know if you are hungry or not but I am and I've got gifts for you to open." Lisa smiled sweetly and nodded, "I am starving," with that they left for Rick's place.  
  
A/N: Ok well this is the first chapter, so now I need to go write chapter 11 for What If. Anyway I hope you enjoy, and yes Minmei will be around more. I plan to write more so I hope you enjoy, an as all ways R&R. 


	2. Hopes and Dreams: II

Hopes and Dreams  
  
A/N: Ok well I have gotten some positive feedback for this story and have also had requests to continue the story so I have decided that I will. Thank you everyone who has reviewed this story and giving me encouragement.  
  
Lisa opened her eyes and looked about for a minute trying to get a bearing on where she was and how she had gotten there. Her eyes adjusted slowly and Lisa felt someone next to her. Thought her eyes where not fully adjusted to the dark Lisa could tell just by placing a hand on the un-ruly mop of hair she could tell that it was Rick.  
  
Lisa smiled slightly as she played around with Rick's hair hearing him breathe. She started to think about what had happened last night and she remembered that she and Rick had come back to his place after he had come to her quarters after fighting the fire that had raged in Macross after Khyron's failed attempt to steal the Protoculture Matrix.  
  
He had come to her and pounded on her door a few times and waited for her. She had come to her door still in her rumpled uniform. She had come home after Admiral Gloval had ordered her to go home and sleep, thought she hadn't wanted to. She remembered him telling her that if she didn't go home he was going to take her home himself.  
  
But she hadn't come home happy, she came home and when she looked around her quarters she felt a horrible sense of lowliness and sadness well up in her. She didn't even bother to get out of her uniform, she went and lay down on her bed and started to cry. She cried so hard she was surprised that she had so many tears. She hadn't cried this hard sense Riber had died.  
  
But as she felt herself dry up and the tears stopped falling Lisa heard a knocking at her door. She didn't really want to answer the door, but she got up and answered it anyway. She went to the door opened it and was surprised to see a cold, red-faced Rick Hunter standing outside her door.  
  
As she stood there looking at him she thought for a moment that he had come for her, to come and tell her that he loved her. But she dismissed it and looked at him with, what she was sure was a horribly ugly face. But as Rick started to talk and Lisa listened she realized that Rick had come for her and that all the things that she had seen weren't for Minmei, but were for her.  
  
Then she remembered Rick and her standing in her living room holding each other, and she heard Rick stumbling for words and then he said the words and stopped himself short of saying, "because I love you," and Lisa felt her heart sink a little and then she decided to tell Rick how she felt.  
  
An as she said that she felt Rick tighten up and then she heard him utter the words that she had been wanting to hear him say for three years. She looked at him and felt her eyes water up and she hugged him tightly. Then he invited her back to his place for dinner, or what was left of it.  
  
Again Lisa smiled, Rick had cooked a nice dinner for her, but because of the attack and ensuing fire, the roast had become a blackened hunk of meat, and Rick was somewhat angry at himself and Lisa had to calm him down and they ordered a pizza from one of Lisa's friends.  
  
Then after they had eaten the pizza Rick and Lisa curled together and watched whatever was on TV and after a while ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. To Lisa it was the happiest Christmas Eve Lisa had had in years and she was happy to spend it with someone she loved.  
  
Lisa got up and looked at her watch, it was half past eight and she looked out the window and saw why it was so dark. The cloud was heavy with dark clouds that threatened snow. Lisa silently hoped it would snow so that she could have a "White Christmas."  
  
Under normal circumstance, it wouldn't be this dark, but this was not a normal circumstance. The world had been devastated by Dolza and the environmental patterns and normality's had been changed beyond anything that anyone who knew Earth before the holocaust, would ever be able to comprehend.  
  
Lisa walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and looked around at the food that Rick had. She had to admit for a man; Rick had a lot of food around, so she assumed that he could cook. She smiled, 'I nailed the perfect man, he is sweet, caring, and can cook, he may not be the brightest, but he is still a good man,' Lisa thought.  
  
Lisa started to pull out food and went over to the stove and turned on one of the burners and put a pan on the burner and started to crack eggs and cook them. Lisa moved quickly over to the coffee pot and pulled out one of the many blends that Rick had and picked one of the Colombian blends, 'This should be good,' Lisa thought while still trying to play enough attention to the egg and also trying to cook the bacon and sausage.  
  
As the food cooked Lisa had lost track of things around her and she had become oblivious to the noises around her and when an arm slid around her waist she gave a slight jump before she remembered that it was Rick as he nuzzled his head into the crook in her neck. She leaned her head on his head as he buried it further into her neck and shoulder.  
  
"Good morning," Rick said with his head still buried in her shoulder and neck. Lisa could feel Rick kissing her neck and she let out a groan of pleasure and noticed that the eggs were done and turned the burner down just enough to keep them warm. Lisa moved her hand to the back of Rick's head and started to play with the hair on the back of his head.  
  
"Good morning to you too," Lisa replied sweetly as she continued to play with Rick's hair. Rick pulled his face out of Lisa's neck and shoulders and put his face next to here, cheek to cheek with his arms still wrapped around her waist. An he inhaled deeply and let out a approving sigh.  
  
"Does it smell good?" Lisa asked, gesturing to the food. What she didn't know was that Rick had his eyes closed, "Yeah, smells like lavender," Rick said without thinking and he felt Lisa pull away and turn in his direction and he opened his eyes and was greeted with a puzzled look on Lisa's face.  
  
"Lavender? Are you on drugs or something?" Lisa asked him. Rick's eyes widened a little and then understood that she was talking about the food, and Rick gave a little laugh and smiled.  
  
"Oh the food? I thought you were talking about something else. Oh, your hair smells nice too," Rick, said with a smile on his face. Rick looked at the food and realized that he was very hungry and went to one of the cabinets and pulled out two plates and handed one to Lisa.  
  
As Rick let Lisa get her food first, since she had cooked it, he was a bit surprised to see that she could cook so well, "Lisa," Rick began hesitantly not wanting to make her mad, "I had no idea that you could cook." Lisa looked up from her food with a hurt look and gave him a sad look.  
  
"Well most people don't seeing as how I usually have been by myself," Lisa said as she went back to eating and Rick nodded his head with a shrug of his shoulders. He set his plate down and walked behind Lisa and put his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head to her ear, "Well this is a wonderful thing to find out, but you don't have to worry about cooking ever again, because I can do that from now on," Rick said as he moved back around to his seat.  
  
Lisa couldn't help smile as she finished her food. Neither one of them talked much while they ate, which suited Rick just fine because he was too busy watching Lisa's every move and wondering just how a woman like her would want to be with some loser pilot like him, how a woman with such a caring heart would hide it. Rick hated himself for the way her had been so blind to the way that Lisa had felt for him, and now that he thought about it more he began to see the signs that he had missed over the years on his blind quest for Minmei.  
  
An as Rick thought more about this he began to lose his appetite and stopped eating. This didn't go un-noticed by Lisa as she finished her break fast. She set down her fork and looked at Rick with concern, "Rick what's wrong, is it not good?" Lisa asked.  
  
Rick looked at Lisa and felt like an asshole that he had put her through so much and he had never noticed all the signs that she had made clear for him. Rick closed his eyes and looked away from Lisa. He couldn't bear to look at her because he had hurt her so much over the last few years.  
  
Lisa got up and moved over to Rick, "Rick! What's wrong," Lisa asked getting worried. It wasn't the food, Lisa was sure of that. Something was bothering Rick and she wanted to know what it was she wanted to help him.  
  
Rick looked at Lisa with a dejected face, "Lisa, can you ever forgive me?" Rick asked her with a serious tone. Lisa reeled back a little and put her arms around him and lowered herself to his level.  
  
"Rick what is there to forgive?" Lisa asked him with her wonderful emerald eyes full of concern and questions.  
  
Rick looked at her and noticed that she was worried about him again, 'Damn it, I am such a blind jerk!' Rick's mind shouted, "Lisa, over these years I have been completely blind to how you have felt for me. An now as I look back I see all the hints and all the times you would help me and talk to me about my problems and then all I would ever talk about were my problems with Minmei." Rick started.  
  
"I won't pretend to try and know what that must have been like for you, an I don't want to know because I think about it now and it makes me hurt on the inside like I have never hurt before. An just a minute ago as I say you doing all this for me it made me think that I have never done anything for you." Rick said with his eyes beginning to shine with tears.  
  
Lisa hugged him and stroked his head like a mother would a frightened child. She had never seen him so emotional since Roy had died, an even then he hadn't really had the same look as he did just a second ago, a look of pure sorrow and sadness. Lisa knew he meant it and she didn't blame him for it, she was just happy to have him now, that was what counted.  
  
"Rick, Rick, listen to me, all that is in the past, an there is nothing to forgive. You and me are together now, and that is what counts now. So don't let what has happened before hurt what we have now," Lisa told him surprised at herself for saying it. She felt him go still for a minute and felt his arms return the hug.  
  
Lisa released Rick and stood up and picked up her plate and his and walked over to the sink. Rick caught up to her and took the dishes from her and told her that he was going to do the dishes and that she should go back to her place because she had to go ready, an when she asked what for he just smiled and told her to just go.  
  
Lisa did what he asked and got her coat and made the quick walk to her place and started the shower and pulled out a pair of jeans and a green sweater. Lisa got dressed and looked at herself in the mirror and saw that for the first time in longer than she could remember she smiled every moment. It was the look of a "happy woman in love," Claudia had told her once before.  
  
Lisa was about to put her coat on when she heard someone knock at the door and wondered who it could be. She had expected maybe Claudia, but she remembered that she was with her brother and sister-in-law.  
  
She opened the door and saw Rick standing there with a gift in hand and a smile on his face. She backed away and let him in and he came in with a rush of cold air. He smiled when he saw how she was dressed and handed her the gift that he had in hand. Lisa took it hesitantly and went and sat down on her couch.  
  
Lisa looked at the gift in the red and green wrapping paper and looked at Rick who motioned she should open it. Lisa waited for a moment and started to open the gift. When she was done she found a box and gave Rick a puzzled look and he told her to open the box, and she did.  
  
Inside was a small black box that made Lisa's heart skip a beat. She picked it up carefully and with a trembling hand opened the black box and inside found a heart-shaped diamond and emerald encrusted pendent hanging at the end of a long elegant necklace. Lisa looked at it and her breath caught in her throat.  
  
Rick sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, "Do you like it?" Rick asked smiling at Lisa who was still shocked. She turned her head to him and with her jaw still hanging slightly agape nodded her head.  
  
"Rick it's the most beautiful thing that anyone has ever given me, how could you afford this? It must have cost you an arm and a leg." Lisa looked at Rick and thought she tried to stop them the tears feel down freely, she had never received anything so wonderful.  
  
Rick took the necklace and moved Lisa's long hair out of the way and put the necklace around her neck and fumbled with the clasp for a moment and finally got it closed and moved his hands away from her neck and Lisa let her hair come cascading down.  
  
Lisa turned back to Rick and he looked at how the necklace brought out the beauty of Lisa's face and accentuated it also. He smiled and grabbed her hand and held it. Lisa still overcome with the gift lunged at Rick and brought him into a bear hug and kissed him all over his face.  
  
"Oh thank you Rick, I don't know how to thank you," Lisa said between kisses and she finally stopped kissing him and laid her head on her chest letting her hair flow all around. At this moment in her life she had never been happier than she was now. She felt Rick stir and she got up off him and sat back up right.  
  
Rick got up off the couch, "Well Lisa, we better hurry, we got to get all those gifts in the car and over to Claudia's, they're expecting us in an hour an I wanted to get there early." Lisa bolted up and looked at Rick and she realized how much thought Rick had put into this.  
  
"You mean we are going to spend Christmas with Claudia too?" Lisa asked her voice full of excitement. Claudia had spent almost every holiday alone since Roy had died and the thought of bringing Christmas to Claudia made her smile and gave her a good feeling.  
  
Rick smile again, "Not just Claudia, but Sammie, Kim, Vanessa, and I think Claudia even managed to convince Admiral Gloval to come too. So we are spending Christmas with your family this time. An I think that the Sterling's might even come over too," Rick said with a note of pride at having engineered all this for Lisa.  
  
Lisa got up and grabbed Rick's hand and pulled him towards the door and grabbed her coat, "Well we have a lot to do, so we need to hurry if we want to get to Claudia's in time." Lisa stopped.  
  
"I just remembered that I didn't get anyone anything. What am I going to do? It's Christmas and I haven't gotten anything for anyone." Lisa wailed she had just thought of this, she had never planned on spending Christmas with anyone other than maybe a few hours with Claudia.  
  
Rick wrapped his arm around her wait and started to walk her out the door, she protested, "Rick I didn't get anyone anything, not even you. An after all you've done for me," Lisa lowered her head and Rick continued to smile.  
  
"Lisa, you've already given me the best Christmas present I could ever get, and that is you, an besides I put yours and my name on all the gifts anyway, so you don't have to worry about anything." Rick saw Lisa look up at him and saw her beautiful face break into a slight smile.  
  
"I knew I fell in love with you for a reason," Lisa leaned into him and kissed him and wrapped her arm around his waist and they walked out of her place and over to his and started to put all the gifts into the trunk and Rick and Lisa got into his car and started over for Claudia's.  
  
When they go there they saw that everyone had wanted to arrive early and that it seemed that they were the last one's to arrive. Rick stopped the car in the street and got out and went to opens Lisa's door but she had already gotten out, "Well damn, now I see why chivalry is dead, you women don't give us a chance to be chivalrous," Rick said with a smirk and Lisa hit him on the arm playfully.  
  
Rick laughed as he popped the trunk and started to get the bags out that he had put the gifts in, "Oh I'm sorry, how sexist of me to think that you needed any protecting, I guess that's Universal Suffrage for ya." Lisa rolled her eyes.  
  
"The only thing that I am gonna need protecting from is you Mr. Hunter, cause you drive me crazy," Lisa said in a sultry voice and leaned up and kissed him and held it for a few seconds and when Lisa broke it Rick let out a groan of pleasure and followed her as she made for Claudia's door, and opened it with her spare key.  
  
As Rick and Lisa walked in they were greeted with a room full of wide- eyed people staring at them, then they realized that they had witnesses the little display out in front of Claudia's house. Max was the first to speak, "Well look who's the ladies man, eh?" Max said playfully nudging Rick.  
  
Henry (Gloval), spoke next, "Did I just see you kiss Lisa out in front of Claudia's house?" Rick looked at him.  
  
Rick decided to lay up the moment and wrapped a free arm around Lisa's waist and kissed her again and smiled at the room's reaction. "Yeah, so?" Rick asked and the room smiled and everyone started to talk at once. Rick and Lisa started to mingle into the conversation mostly about them but they smiled and talked nonetheless.  
  
A/N: Well another chapter, I didn't expect it to be this long and I was kind of expecting to get to the actual Christmas festivities in this chapter, but this works too. Anyway thanks for reading and R&R as always. 


	3. Hopes and Dreams: III

Hopes and Dreams  
  
A/N: Well thanks to all those who have reviewed, an thank you Sphersian for being such a big fan, nineteen reviews in two days, that's got to be a new record for me. Don't worry about how many you submitted I know you like to read these. So enough of this pre-fic talk, and on with the story!  
  
The Christmas Party at Claudia's house started out with a bunch of talking and mingling and for Rick, a lot of congratulations and patting on the back. An since the only two other guys in the house were Max, Henry, and Vince they went off and found themselves a little nook and talked.  
  
Max sat off to Rick's right sipping his beer, "So Rick, when did you finally give up on Minmei?" Max asked in his usual cool tone. Rick took sipped his beer and looked at Max and raised an eyebrow, "Yesterday, or maybe the day before I can't really remember. I just knew the day we had our date and I didn't show up till hours after we agreed and she was still there waiting and smiling, I knew then."  
  
Henry looked at Rick and swished his beer a little; he had never been much of a beer man, being Russian and all. He had always preferred a good Vodka to this pathetic excuse of alcohol these Americans called beer, but he wasn't going to complain, god knows he hadn't complained in years and there was no reason to start now.  
  
But he watched the three other men carry on and watched as Vince and Max took turns drilling Rick, and Rick being a good sport about it took all the questions with a smile and a casual simple answer. Henry had to smile; this had been a long time in coming.  
  
If he had known that Minmei would cause so much distress to Lisa, the woman that he looked at as the daughter he never had, he would have stuffed her in an a airlock and ejected her into space, but he was happy to see that Rick, after being oblivious to Lisa for so much time had finally come around to her.  
  
Henry watched for a minute more and decided he needed to step outside for a smoke and got up, "If you gentlemen will excuse me I am going to step outside for a few minutes," Henry didn't say anything more as he walked towards the door and pulling his coat closer around him he stepped outside with his pipe in hand.  
  
Henry walked to the end of Claudia's driveway and lit his pipe. With the pipe clenched between his teeth Henry thought back to all the events that had transpired over the last four years, he even thought to before then to his time in the Global Civil War. It brought a slight smile to his face as he remembered Lisa's father before he had been corrupted by power, before he de-rezzed in the Grand Cannon.  
  
Henry thought back to when the SDF-1 had first landed on the planet back in 1999. The Global Civil War had been raging for years by that point and was on the brink of wiping out humanity. But that fateful day, the SDF-1 landed and with it an end to the Global Civil War, thought the war stopped the fighting continued for years as Anti-UEG rebels launched low intensity wars all over the globe trying desperately to stop the UEG government.  
  
But the Anti-UEG rebels weren't the only group to flare up in protest during this time. The Faithful had risen up at this time vowing to the world that the SDF-1 was evil and that by allowing it to remain on the Earth, that God would take his punishment on the Earth by killing all of humanity and devastating the planet.  
  
Henry for a long time had scoffed at the idea of The Faithful. Henry had never been a particularly religious man, an it wasn't for the lack of his family trying, it was just that Henry was a realist and he wanted proof that there really was a god, an so far as Henry was concerned, God still hadn't showed him, or anyone any proof that he existed.  
  
This was one of the reasons why Henry never celebrated Christmas, and today wasn't going to be any different for him, except that, after long last, Rick had finally decided that he was going to open his eyes and take a good long look at the world around him and see that he couldn't keep living in his little fantasy world chasing Minmei all over the place and feeling sorry for himself.  
  
Henry smiled, it had taken a strong woman almost four years to make him see that, an along that path this woman had suffered a great deal to make him see that there was quite possibly another person out there for him, and in Henry's opinion, a better woman for him.  
  
Henry had nothing against Minmei except for that fact that she was a self- centered, spoiled little girl who still had a lot of growing up to do before she could really settle down with anyone. Lisa in his opinion was a better fit for Rick as she was the type of woman who had been there and had the experience to keep him in check, but was also loving enough to be there for him when he needed it.  
  
He took a puff on his pipe and noticed that it was almost empty of tobacco, and as he stood there contemplating on whether or not to put another plug of tobacco in his pipe he thought better of it and decided to walk back into the house and finish having a good time with the people he had come to regard as his family, or most of them anyway.  
  
Henry turned back and walked back into the house and left his ill thoughts outside when he came back into the friendly warmth of the house. He heard a few hellos and gave a wave and walked over to the couch and looked out the window and just listened to the greatness of youth around him.  
  
But a much more different scene unfolded itself in Khyron's cruiser as it sat in the frigid cold of the Alaskan Tundra, or what was left of it. Khyron paced the command center of the cruiser with anger and humiliation present on his face. He was angry because his plan to get the Protoculture Matrix had failed and he was humiliated because, yet again he had been beaten by the micronians.  
  
Azonia and Grel stood of to the side watching both with satisfied looks on their faces. Azonia was satisfied because after all of Khyron's talk he had failed to get the Matrix back to supply his ship with power, just further proving that he was quickly becoming unable to lead.  
  
Grel was satisfied because it was he that was supposed to lead that attack and from what the few survivors told, the micronians were not in a mood to take any prisoners that day and they had all but wiped out Khyron's attack force. There was even word that a run on the SDF-1's bridge by Khyron and some of his best warriors had been stopped by one Veritech pilot.  
  
But that wasn't all, this pilot appeared to be the same one that had held Khyron at bay in space and had damaged his pod so much. Grel almost smiled, by he knew that if Khyron caught anyone with even a slightly happy or pleased look on their face, that'd he kill them. Khyron had become that way more and more since his ingestion of the Flower of Life.  
  
Grel stole a look at Azonia who gave him a sly smirk and Grel didn't like it. He had never really liked Azonia, but over the past few months of being stuck with her on Khyron's cruiser he had come to accept her and had learned to deal with her. He knew she was going to go and give Khyron trouble; she always did whenever he had lost a battle.  
  
Azonia walked over to Khyron and all the while making a show of it by spreading out her arms and shaking her hips from side to side, "Oh Khyron, what happened this time?" Azonia said in a mocking childish voice. Grel watched with interest and Azonia was the only one who could do this without being killed.  
  
Khyron turned to her with a murderous look in his eyes and both Azonia and Grel could see that he had just ingested some Flowers of Life and that now was not the time to be making jokes of him or trying to mock him in anyway shape or form.  
  
Azonia backed off back to where she had been and Khyron gave her a look that told both of them that they had better figure something out soon or he was going to get very violent. Azonia took a step back, thought she and Khyron had been stuck together and she had a special place to him, and she was not excluded from his anger and wrath.  
  
Grel knew the look and searched his brain for something meaningful to say or maybe something that would maybe pacify Khyron long enough for him to get away from him, "Uh, milord I do think I have an idea that will allow us to have our revenge on the micronians for defeating you," Grel said hoping that Khyron would hear him.  
  
Khyron stopped and looked at him and Grel knew he had his attention, "Well milord, some of our spies report that the micronians have an inherent fear or completely random death. Things like explosions and random shootings scare micronians to their core. So milord I propose that we start to..." Grel thought for the word, "terrorizing the micronians."  
  
Khyron watched Grel for a moment and thought, 'If Grel is right then we could find some of our most diehard warriors and have them go and sacrifice themselves to cause damage to the micronians towns and cities. To any other commander this would be a completely foreign idea.  
  
"Grel, so you are telling me that if we go and blow up out warriors and cause damage to their cities and kill there people that they will become afraid?" Grel nodded his head and looked at Khyron and realized the look, he liked the idea, an as if to reinforce this, Khyron gave an evil smile.  
  
Khyron walked up to Grel and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Good job Grel, now I remember why I keep you around instead of killing you," Khyron said with a devilish smile and Grel gulped, he knew his commander was deadly serious, "Now Grel, go get me some men, tell them that it is for the greater Zentraedi good," Grel nodded and ran off to find him some suitable warriors.  
  
Khyron walked up to Azonia and gave her a murderous look, "If you ever humiliate me in front of my troops ever again, I swear I will kill you on the spot, do you understand that?" Khyron's voice was quivering and murder was in his eyes and Azonia just nodded her head and watched as he stormed off in a rage.  
  
"...Five...six...seven, ah damn it," Rick shouted as his piece landed on Boardwalk for the third time in a row. At this rate Rick was going to be out of money and he looked up and saw a happy glint in Kim's eye, Boardwalk was hers and now Rick regretted not buying it when he had the chance.  
  
"That's two thousand you owe me Rick," Kim said holding out her hand as Rick started to hand over the money and realized that he didn't have enough actual money and he would have to mortgage some of his property and he looked down and realized that even with mortgaging he still didn't have enough.  
  
Rick rolled his eyes and looked at Kim, "I don't have enough," he said flatly and he could hear a general laugh from the people around him.  
  
Kim huffed, "Well then I guess I am going to have to break your legs aren't I?" Kim asked in a mocking haughty tone.  
  
Lisa rolled her eyes and put a hand on Rick's shoulder, "I really don't see how you got this far in life, you do have enough, but barely," Lisa started to look at his property and barely managed to get Rick the two thousand he owed Kim, but Rick's fortune didn't last long as he landed on Boardwalk the very next time around and gave an exasperated groan and just lead back and watched as the others continued to play without him.  
  
He felt Lisa next to him and he looked at her and saw her smile at him sweetly, "You know it was funny watching you try to play Monopoly with the Terrible Trio, they play that so much that they have become the masters at it," Rick rolled his eyes, "an a lot of the time you would sell your property out before you had too," Rick rolled his eyes again and Lisa laughed kissing his cheek.  
  
"Now I know why you're the one for me, God knows I'd never be able to take care of and fiscal responsibilities," Rick said in a hushed tone and Lisa smiled again and they both turned their attention from each other long enough to hear Claudia say that dinner was ready and everyone got up and went to get some food.  
  
There were far too many people to sit at the table so it was decided that they would eat buffet style and everyone would sit where they could, but none of them got away without a stern warning from a wooden spoon wielding Claudia telling them if they made a mess she would use the spoon on them.  
  
This got a laugh from everyone in the house and they started to get their food and Rick and Lisa lingered near the back talking and hugging and carrying on. They finally got to get their food and they made their way for the living room where everyone was gathering and everyone started to handle the gifts that Rick had brought.  
  
Everyone looked around and realized that no one else had brought anything and looked at Rick who waved off their concerns and told them to go ahead and open the gifts. Henry was the first to open his gift and Rick heard a happy exclamation that he assumed was Russian and looked over and saw that Henry had opened his and was looking approvingly at the Vodka and pipe that Rick had gotten him.  
  
Rick turned when he heard a squeal and looked at saw the Trio each hold their gifts, Rick hadn't known what to get them so he had gotten them all gift cards to the mall each worth fifty dollars. Rick saw them all smile happily and heard a "Thank you Rick," in unison and he smiled.  
  
Rick turned his attention to Max and saw that he was already looking at the Beatles CD's that Rick had gotten him and Miriya already reading the book on Human Customs and insults, Rick knew she'd have a fun time with that.  
  
An Jean and Vince Grant seemed to enjoy the his/her watched that he had gotten for them upon hearing that they were almost inseparable. Rick turned and saw that Claudia was smiling with the mini model of Skull One, Roy vintage.  
  
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the gifts and then he heard the Trio ask what Rick had gotten for Lisa and Rick turned and pointed to himself, and saw the Trio give out a groan and before Rick could tell what was happening he felt a hand on the back of his head, and he gave out a cry. He saw a somewhat angry look on Lisa's face, and before anyone else could see it, she hid it.  
  
"Yeah Rick, what'd you get Lisa," Max piped in.  
  
"Yes, I too an very interested to see what you have gotten for Lisa," Miriya said with ever the correct grammar.  
  
Rick didn't have to saw anything as Lisa pulled the necklace out of her sweater and heard all the women ooh and ah, and heard Max give out a whistle. The Trio jumped up and started to looked at the heart shaped pendant encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.  
  
Then Max got up and walked over to Rick and patted him on the shoulder, "Hey man, sorry we didn't get you anything, it was kind of short notice," Max said trying to explain himself and Rick got an idea.  
  
"You guys don't have to worry about getting me anything," Rick said as he pulled Lisa closer to him, "I got the best Christmas present ever right here," and he hugged Lisa and he felt Lisa melt in his arms. Whatever anger Lisa had over Rick's arrogant joke was lost by what he had just said.  
  
As they broke the hug a cell phone rang and everyone turned to see a flustered Admiral Gloval fumbling with a cell phone, and he finally got it to work and he started to talk into it, and Rick took this opportunity to pull Lisa aside, "Lisa, I'm sorry for that joke you know I didn't mean it, if anything you still accepting me is more then I deserve," Rick said.  
  
Lisa kissed him, "Don't worry about it, I over-reacted, I should have known that it was just a joke," Lisa said running her hand through his un- ruly mop of hair. Rick smiled and kissed Lisa cause he knew that she was more then he deserved, an a sudden commotion bring them back to Earth.  
  
"But Admiral Gloval, do you have to go?" Kim begged, "It's Christmas of all days, I think they could figure something out without for once," Vanessa added. Henry held out his hands and halted any further protests.  
  
"I am sorry everyone but I have to go, this is important, and General Maistroff said that I needed to be there to hear it so I have to go," Henry said. "Now I need to get the Ready Room Three, that's were they're meeting," Henry said. Rick pulled out his keys and tossed the Henry, "Make sure you get back here in a hurry," Rick said and Henry nodded and went out to door.  
  
As the shock of having Henry leave so suddenly wore off the group went back to chatting and sitting by the fire that Rick had just started. But as it seemed that they would be settling down for a nice night of each other's company, at least a dozen ground-shaking explosions rocked Macross City.  
  
The house emptied as everyone went into the street to see what happened. An they saw smoke rising from the RDF sector of the city and suddenly realized that they were under attack, and everyone began to make their way for the Barracks and meeting rooms. But the assault wasn't over; half a dozen more explosions rocked the rest of Macross and more pillars of smoke rose from the RDF area.  
  
As rescue crews, both military and civilian began to arrive they could see the devastation and carnage that was before them. The RDF barracks and meeting rooms were in total rubble and bodies were everywhere and as Rick and the rest of the group got closer they could see body parts littering the area.  
  
Rick grabbed a sergeant running towards the carnage ready to do his job and try and save anyone he could and fight the fires that were raging around the RDF base. "What the hell happened here," Rick demanded, the sergeant looked at Rick and a look of terror and sadness came over him, "Zentraedi terrorists attacks, they blew themselves up right here in the RDF base, and by the looks of it, they got a lot of good people before anyone knew what was going on," Rick let go of the man and started to stumble back but felt initiative take hold and started to run for the Barracks and he pulled out a young man from the rubble and saw he had no lower torso.  
  
Rick saw Lisa to his left digging and pulled out a even younger soldier and saw that he was still alive and began screaming for a Medic, the young soldier looked up at her and tears formed in his eyes, "Are...are you an angel?" The young man struggled out and Lisa tears forming in her eyes only nodded and hugged him to her body when the Medic arrived, and pulled him from her.  
  
The Medic gave the young soldier a quick once over and closed his eyes and Lisa gave a sob, the Medic pulled his dog tag and put a hand on Lisa's shoulder and moved off to help others. Rick moved over to Lisa and tried to pull her into a hug but she rebuffed him, "We have people to help," Lisa said and Rick and Lisa set about to find any survivors.  
  
They worked there way east a few hundred yards and as Rick was removing rubble he found a hand and he touched it and it felt warm and he started to dig furiously, he cleared away more rubble and reeled back in terror and shock, Admiral Henry Gloval lay before him a shattered and broken man bleeding onto the cold Earth. Rick did the only thing he could, "MEDIC!!!" He yelled and saw a man run towards him and as he got closer he felt for a pulse and yelled for a ambulance, "This one's alive, but I don't know for how long, get the OR ready."  
  
As they hefted Admiral Gloval onto the gurney and drove him away Lisa came over to Rick and threw herself into his arms and started to cry hard. He patted her back and stroked her hair, and then a professional rescue officer came to them and told them there was nothing more they could do and told them to go home.  
  
Rick took Lisa to her place and lay her down in her bed after taking off the bloody clothes and giving her a fresh pair of pajamas and she went and changed in the bathroom. She was in the bathroom for so long Rick began to worry he opened the door and found her sobbing curled into a ball her back to the wall.  
  
Rick picked her up and walked her into her room and laid her down and started to make his way for the couch when a hand grabbed his, "No, please stay here with me, please Rick, please," Lisa begged and Rick stopped and moved back to her and lay down next to her and she laid her head on his chest and cried herself to sleep and after a while Rick felt the warmth of sleep over take him, and he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
A/N: Well what do you think of that!? Will Gloval survive, and what's next, tune in next time for the next exciting chapter in Hopes and Dreams!!!!! Ok sorry couldn't help it, but R&R anyway. Thanks for reading. 


	4. Hopes and Dreams: IV

Hopes and Dreams  
  
A/N: Ok, well here is the next chapter, it may be long, it may not, I don't know so just read it.  
  
Rick woke up with a start and looked around at his surroundings and tried to think about where he was and as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes the realization came washing over him. He looked around and for Lisa, she wasn't in the room and he got up and looked for her, not panicking.  
  
He walked out of the bedroom and saw Lisa, her eyes puffy and her face red sitting watching the TV with the volume low. She didn't look up, so he assumed that she hadn't heard him so he stood behind her silently watching the live new coverage of what was being called the Christmas Day Massacre, and for good reason.  
  
Eighteen Zentraedi fanatics had blown themselves up in the RDF base in Macross, and thought on a normal day there wouldn't have been many higher ranking officer, but this had been an unusual circumstance and there had been almost every high ranking officer there with the exclusion of three: Lisa, a Civil Defense General and some obscure R&D man.  
  
An as far as survivors went, of the eight thousand men and women who were to live on the RDF barracks, almost twelve hundred were dead and two thousand were wounded, and the entire command structure of the RDF, and CD had been ravaged. An it would appear that they were going to have a meeting today to figure out who were going to be promoted.  
  
Although Admiral Gloval wasn't dead, the rumor was that his injuries were severe enough that he wouldn't be in any command positions any time soon. There was also rumor that Maistroff and Reinhart were dead and all the other officers had been killed, it would appear that the Zentraedi had received a tip from an inside source that all the top officers were in that building.  
  
Rick heard Lisa shutter as the camera panned over the destruction. Rick looked at the bottom of the screen and looked at the time and saw that Monument City, New Detroit, and New Denver were all offering support and a few of the South American cities were offering to send some security teams to Macross.  
  
Rick moved up to Lisa and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and put his head on her shoulder and he felt her hand go up to his head. Rick averted his gaze back to the TV and saw the numbers of dead and wounded, and missing, and the total number of casualties came to four thousand. This hit Rick hard as he thought about how much four thousand military personal was in the post holocaust Earth.  
  
Rick closed his eyes and just looked rested his head on Lisa's shoulder and thought about their first Christmas together and thought of how good it had started an then how bad it had gotten after the Zentraedi attacked. Rick opened his eyes and kissed Lisa's head and continued to rest his head on her shoulder.  
  
Lisa turned and looked at Rick with her sorrowful, but beautiful emerald eyes and he could see the pain and anguish on her face, "Rick, I don't know what we are going to do, if the Zentraedi are going to resort to terror tactics and blow themselves up we are going to have to do what Exedore said, and eradicate every Zentraedi on the planet."  
  
Rick looked at her and knew that she was right, but it didn't matter that he knew she was right she would have to deal with all the remaining officers in the RDF, and god knows there were few of them left. Rick kissed Lisa lightly and told her that he was going to go back to his quarters and get into his uniform because he was sure that they'd have to go in today.  
  
Lisa nodded her head and told him that she was going to do the same. Rick went to the door and stood there till he was sure that she was getting ready and was focused before he left and jogged to his house and jumped in the shower quickly and got his uniform on and heard a knock at his door.  
  
Rick finished his uniform and brought the towel with him to finish drying off his hair and opened the door to see a squad of soldiers waiting for him, "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to come with us," said the sergeant. Rick gave him a puzzled look and looked and saw an SUV with a jeep in front of it and behind it and threw the towel off to the side and walked out with the sergeant.  
  
As he walked to the SUV and opened the door he saw a few other officers and saw Lisa in the passengers seat, and got in and closed the door, "What's going on here," Rick asked to anyone in particular, and Lisa answered him in her professional voice.  
  
"We are getting an armored escort to the SDF-1 incase there are any Zentraedi follow up attacks." Lisa was silent after that and Rick didn't say anything else as they got closer to the SDF-1 and they realized that they wouldn't be having the meeting in one of the buildings, but rather in the SDF-1.  
  
The convoy stopped in the front of the SDF-1 and all the officers could see a large number of soldiers patrolling the area and they had to have the door's opened for them before they could get out. As the officers got out the soldiers began to fall in around them and escort them into the SDF-1 where a Captain met them.  
  
Rick started to peel off for the hanger and the captain saw him, "Commander Hunter, where do you think you're going?" Rick looked at him and a puzzled look came over his face and the man smiled, ruefully albeit, "Your one of the few veteran high ranking pilots, so you are going to be present for this meeting too," Rick shrugged and fell back in with the rest of the officers.  
  
They followed the officer for a short ways and they got to one of the conference rooms and the Captain left them and they walked in to see a Intelligence officer with the rank of Commander and as the officers walked in they began to take their seats and the Intel officer stood up and pulled out a piece of paper from a folder.  
  
"In light of recent events, the RDF and CD have decided to replace officers that have been killed or are otherwise going to be out of commission for a while," the Intel officer said, "An out first order of business is filling the void left by the absence of Admiral Gloval, and the bets logical choice that we have come up with is, Captain Lisa Hayes, you are being promoted to Admiral."  
  
Lisa's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little, she stood up and the officers in the room applauded, most in the room knew that she was the next logical choice to be made Admiral, an no one seemed surprised except Rick and Lisa. Lisa walked forward and received her new rank insignia's and was told her new uniform would be ready within the hour.  
  
An the Intel Officer went on for another half hour talking and talking and promoting, and finally Rick heard his name, "And Commander Rick Hunter, being one of the few veteran pilot's left with leadership experience is being promoted to Captain of the RDF Veritech Wing," Rick's eye's widened and he got up to get his captain's rank and the Intel Officer get him his rank and she gave him and wink that didn't go un-noticed by Lisa.  
  
The Intel Officer said a few more words and turned to Lisa, "Admiral Hayes, I believe that this meeting is yours from here on out, there are few issues that need to be addressed and they are there on the table where I was," an then the Intel Officer left, leaving Lisa to get to the head of the table and picked up the list.  
  
She dreaded as she saw there were only two things on the list: Deal with the shortage of RDF personal, and what to do about Khyron. Lisa knew the second issue would be the easier one to deal with, but the first would be infinitely more difficult seeing as how the RDF already had a personal shortage and now it was even more serious seeing as how twelve hundred experienced men and women were dead and another two thousand plus were wounded or missing and presumed dead.  
  
"Well," Lisa started still unsure on which issue she would tackle first, "we have two major issues, first is what to do about Khyron and his new tactic," Lisa stopped as she saw a few people start to talk, so she decided that this would be the first issue they would discuss.  
  
"So since this issue seems to be of interest right now, we will discuss this now," Lisa said in a professional tone that dispelled any arguments. One of the officers who after a quick look at his name tag she remembered was Colonel Tye, so she decided to recognize him, "Yes Colonel Tye, what would you suggest?" Lisa said to him.  
  
Colonel Tye rose and cleared his throat, "Well, seeing as how the Zentraedi have taken a serious step in the direction of terrorism and more...covert and clandestine means of attack, I think it would help the city of Macross and even the other cities if we could perhaps devote more of our resources to intelligence operations and prevent such attacks in the future," Tye said his voice wavering under the intense scrutiny of the other in the room.  
  
A General stood, "I don't think that idea is going to work, how are we supposed to gather intelligence on a Zentraedi, if it was another human organization, but these are fifty food tall warriors who can tell about these types of things," he said and sat back down.  
  
Rick watched with a slight amusement as a few more officers started to get involved and what had started out as a somewhat orderly meeting soon degraded into a shouting match. Rick glanced to Lisa and saw that she was clearly out of control of the situation and could she was quickly losing her grip and in a second she would run out of the room so he stood up.  
  
"HEY!" Rick yelled and seemed to stop the arguing long enough for them to look at him and then he realized that they were waiting for him to speak, "all this arguing isn't getting us anywhere, what we really need to do it agree on something," Rick paused and say that they were actually listening to him, "Now Col. Tye what was it that you suggested, something about increased intelligence operation?" Rick asked, and Tye nodded his head.  
  
Rick turned his attention to a Major that had suggested something about patrolling the streets, "Major..." Rick stopped and looked at the man, "Major Moore," He said and Rick nodded his head.  
  
"I think Major Moore has made a good point by putting armed patrols in the streets to make the Zentraedi think twice before they try to do anything like they did yesterday," Rick said with a note of finality and everyone seemed to agree. An then he turned his attention to a R&D officer with a nerdy look.  
  
"And you General Jackson, you made a mention about a detection device that could track the genetic and chemical differences in a human and Zentraedi?" Rick asked the scrawny looking man with the large rimmed glasses. He gave a nod of his head every so slightly and Rick looked at Lisa.  
  
"Admiral, I think that we may have come to an agreement now, with your permission we would like to start patrols in the streets of Macross and step up intelligence operations and if what Gen Jackson says is correct we can install a system of these detectors around the RDF bases seeing as how most RDF personal are human we can stop and Zentraedi before they get close." Rick looked at Lisa and she just gave a sigh and nodded her head.  
  
Rick sat down and Lisa rose, "Now the next issue is the serious manpower shortage we now have in the RDF and CD. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can take care of this issue?" Lisa asked hoping that someone would have a good and relevant response to this one.  
  
And much to her surprise Colonel Tye stood up, "Yes ma'am, as you all know there is a military program that has been instituted in all high schools in Macross and at Macross University, it is the Accelerated Pilot and Training Corp, or APTC, and is open to all boys and girls interested between the ages of fifteen to eighteen, and I was under the impression that we could use these young...aspiring servicemen and women as the replacements that the RDF and CD need so badly," an as he sat down a few people had approving looks on their faces and a few people had looks of horror.  
  
Rick was one of those who didn't like the idea of using teenagers as replacements for the badly mauled RDF an he planned on making his opinion known, "I think that is a bad idea, I wouldn't condone the use of kids barely old enough to start driving and allow them to fly a Veritech or wield a gun, that would make us as bad as the Zentraedi and make up look that much more like a war driven society to use kids," Rick sat down and a few people agreed and seconded what Rick said.  
  
Colonel Tye stood again, "But Captain, you judge these men and women before you even give them a chance," he said, "at least let me show you the cadet commander of the high school APTC corp., at least be fair," Colonel Tye said, and Rick began to rise to argue but Lisa beat him to it.  
  
"Why'll I wouldn't personally like to see you men and women dying, I think we are at a critical stage where we need to consider it as a possibility, and so Colonel Tye I will allow you to present the APTC corp. commander, an depending on his response I will base my decision on whether I will allow this," Lisa said as she lowered herself back down to her seat.  
  
Tye smiled and walked to the door and said something to a figure and he pulled back and a man, no more a boy than a man walked into the room. The Cadet's uniform was white like the RDF dress uniform was and he wore it smartly as he walked in proudly and Rick saw on the boy's face much of what he had been only a few years ago.  
  
The boy stopped three paces from Lisa and came to attention and offered her a very smart military salute and held it rigidly until she returned her salute, "Admiral ma'am Cadet Colonel Aaron Hunter," and she stopped and she gave him an at ease and he seemed to change little as he rested his body. Rick had to admit, he looked sharp and if there were more like him then maybe they should use the APTC as replacement, but one threw Rick, his last name was Hunter, but he shrugged it off as coincidence.  
  
Lisa looked at him and thought of a question, "Cadet Hunter, what made you want to join the APTC?" Lisa asked him seriously her eyes drilling him like he was under interrogation for some horrible offense. An he didn't back down as he stared back at her with eyes that were a lot like Rick's in more ways then one.  
  
"I joined the APTC corp. ma'am because I felt that it was my duty to defend the Earth from all enemies whether they be human or alien." His words came out clearly and concisely and the answer was direct and to the point and Lisa couldn't argue with what he said.  
  
"How long have you been enrolled in APTC Cadet?" Lisa asked him,  
  
Cadet Hunter looked at her, "Ma'am I was involved in reserve officer training programs long before the APTC I have been in the Youth ROTC since I was seven years old, a sort of Spartan life style ma'am."  
  
Lisa nodded her head, he had indeed been training himself like one of the Spartans, of he had really been in the YROTC since he was that age he could quite possibly ready for a position in the RDF or CD, and be quite a good officer.  
  
"How old are you Cadet," Lisa asked, this was the pivotal question.  
  
Cadet Hunter had a sad look in his eye and opened his mouth to speak, "I was seventeen yesterday ma'am," he said no more and Lisa nodded in understanding.  
  
"One more question Cadet Hunter, how much of your corp. would be ready to join the military at this point of the need arose?" Cadet Hunter smiled and pulled out a think piece of paper from his service dress and handed it to her, "This ma'am is the name of every APTC cadet in Macross who would join the military now if the call went out," and Lisa took the papers and started to look at the names and went directly to the last page and saw the numbers and barely managed to hide her shock, there were six thousand names on this list all willing to join.  
  
She looked at Cadet Hunter and looked at the Officers and stood up, "I do believe we have found the answer to our manpower shortages, there is over six thousand names here all willing to join now if the need be, so Colonel Tye I am going to approve the use of the APTC corp. as replacements. An I believe this is enough for one meeting you all are dismissed," Everyone got up and moved except Rick and the Cadet.  
  
Lisa turned her attention to Cadet Hunter first and for the first time saw him without his military air and saw he looked like any other seventeen year old boy, he was average height about five foot nine inches and appeared to be in shape and she looked at his face and saw that he was clean shaven but he had a wild head of hair.  
  
"Yes Cadet Hunter, is there anything I can do for you?" She saw the smile come over his face.  
  
"Yes Admiral Hayes I just wanted to thank you for giving me, I mean us our chance to fight for Earth, it is our planet too and I just want to let you know how grateful I am," his smile was large and she could see that he was sincere and she saw a somewhat mad Rick and she decided to keep Cadet Hunter here.  
  
"So Cadet Hunter, what do you want to do in the RDF?" Lisa asked and she saw his face light up.  
  
"I have always wanted to fly a Veritech, flying has been a dream of mine since before I could walk, I have always felt at home in the air soaring in the clouds," he had a somewhat lost look on his face and she could see he was day dreaming, and she couldn't help but laugh a little.  
  
"Well Cadet Hunter, if you want to talk to someone who knows a little about flying you can talk to Commander Hunter right behind you," Lisa couldn't help but telling him to talk to Rick, it was weird having two men named Hunter right there in the same space an it didn't help that they looked a more then just a little alike.  
  
Cadet Hunter spun around and looked at Rick and a look of a child in a candy store came over his face, his hand went into his pocket and he pulled out a sharpie and a looked at Rick, "Could I have your autograph?" The young Cadet asked Rick.  
  
Rick was so taken back that he forgot that he was mad and took the marker and looked at him, "What do you want me to sign?" Rick asked and Aaron held out his and palm up and Rick noticed that he had on a white dress glove and Rick smiled and signed it.  
  
"Wow," Aaron said taking it in and he looked at Rick and was about to bombard him with a million questions but Colonel Tye poked his head through the door and called for him to come along and Aaron with an awed look on his face looked from Rick to Lisa and held out his and to Rick and shook his hand and did the same for Lisa.  
  
An with that Aaron strode out of the room with the autographed glove still on his hand and Lisa couldn't help but watch and give a smile as she watched him, she didn't know why but she liked him, she reminded her of Rick.  
  
[Later that night]  
  
Rick sat down next to Lisa as they watched TV and sat there together as the newsman explained now why there were armored RDF patrols and why over six thousand teenagers would be reporting to the main RDF base in Macross. Rick looked at Lisa and wrapped his arm around her, "You sure we made the right decision? I mean they are nothing but kids they seem a little young to be fighting."  
  
Lisa sighed and lay her head down on his shoulder, "Well I agree they are young, but I think they deserve the right to defend Earth, you heard Cadet Hunter today if there are anymore like him we won't have any problems. An that reminds me, that Cadet reminds me a lot of you," Lisa said prodding him.  
  
Rick groaned he had to admit Cadet Hunter was like him in a few ways, "Well I don't know if he is ready to fly a VT, but I am having Max look over his flight tests to see if he should be considered for a VT." Rick looked at Lisa, "I am not that much like him, I am better looking," Rick said with a touch of arrogance.  
  
Lisa gave an exasperated sigh, "Oh come off yourself Hunter, your not that great, if anything your lucky I still even let you come into my life since that day you stood me up," Lisa said with half a smile. Rick's smile faded slowly, she was right he was lucky that she still let him into her life after he stood her up and she had no idea how many times a day he thanked god or whatever higher power there was that he was blessed with such an exceptional woman.  
  
Lisa noticed Rick's thoughtful look and nudged him in the ribs, "What could an empty headed pilot like you be thinking about?" Lisa joked and Rick looked at her with a serious look on his face.  
  
"I am just thinking of how exceptionally lucky I am that I got a wonderful woman like you to come into my life and then after all that bullshit I put you thought you still had enough love for me to still give me that chance to come into your life, an now that I think about it more and more I realize what I would have been if I had lost you at anytime, and everyday at least a million times I thank god or whatever higher power is up there that I got such a beautiful and smart woman to deal with me," Rick said touching Lisa's face with his hand he saw a look of extreme joy and he could tell that she was touched by what he had said.  
  
Rick looked in Lisa's eye's for a minutes and leaned in and kissed her and he felt all his troubles slip away and felt as if he was in heaven and as far as he was concerned, if the sky fell right now he wouldn't care because he was with the woman that he loved and she loved him back with every ounce of her fiber.  
  
A/N: Okay another chapter in the book, and what of Gloval, the Trio, the Sterling's, and what of this Cadet Hunter? Family or just a coincidence? I don't even know yet, so you couldn't so find out in the next chapter of Hopes and Dreams!!!! 


	5. Hopes and Dreams: V

Hopes and Dreams  
  
A/N: Well this is the last chapter before I go to Wisconsin, USA (for all those non-American readers out there), so I want to try and make it a good one. Anyway, thank you lisay, I am flattered that you should think so highly of my work. Well anyway, here is chapter five of Hopes and Dreams.  
  
Lisa slapped her hand to her head and looked out from the virtual mountain of paper work and rolled her eyes and gave out an exasperated groan, "There is so much here to be done, that I will never get it all done," Lisa said to herself and started back to the paperwork.  
  
It had been three weeks since then Christmas Day suicide attack on Macross Barracks and just as long since the new recruits had come into fill the ranks. Lisa groaned about that too, there had been a lot of outrage railing against the RDF using teenagers, but what needed to be done was done and the media slowly found new things to rant and rave about.  
  
Lisa shook her head and told herself that she had a lot of work to do and that if she didn't start now that she would never get home in time to see Rick, who she had heard from one of her aides was equally swamped because of the six thousand new recruits, over twelve hundred of them were found to be Veritech pilot material, and Rick and the rest of the RDF VT wing had drawn the job of helping the over loaded trainers.  
  
There was no need for a very strenuous physical fitness test, the only real test that was required was the "G's Test," where the body was put under tremendous g-force and if that person could handle the g's, they would be qualified, but that didn't mean that a person who was hundred pounds over weigh could be a pilot.  
  
Lisa looked at her watch and gave a groan, it was late, already after eight p.m. and Lisa hadn't even gotten half way through with her paper work and she looked out the window, which by chance had a view of Macross and Lisa could see the lights of people heading home and imagined herself for a moment as one of the civilian type who had a nine-to-five job, she laughed, then another thought popped into her head.  
  
She could see herself now as a house wife, walking around shooing the dog away from breakfast as Rick and the kids would come down to eat, Rick would be in his suite for work and the kids would be all dressed for school, there would be a boy and a girl, and Lisa could see them arguing all the time.  
  
She could see herself sitting down next to her husband and asking him, with his head behind the paper, how he liked breakfast and she could see him grumbling something about it being good and asking her if she could get him more coffee and then he would look at his watch and see he was late and he would get up and get out the door giving her a good-bye kiss with the kids making sick noises in the background.  
  
Then she would hurry the kids off to the bus and stand at the window to make sure they would get on the bus, because that Rick Jr. is a trouble maker an he would skip school of given the chance. Then she would set about doing her daily chores till the kids got home and she'd help them with their homework and then Rick would get home and she would cook dinner and get the kids to bed then Rick and she would go to bed and then do it all over again the next day.  
  
Lisa laughed hard at the notion, here she was an Admiral, the highest ranking person in the RDF and she was having a civilian life day dream. She laughed again and she got up from her desk unable to do anymore work. She walked to the door and grabbed her service coat and put it on and walked out the door turning out the lights laughing that she could even make up such a day dream.  
  
Lisa walked to the trainee barracks and didn't find Rick in any of the trainers or anywhere around so she asked around a bit and found one of the Skull Squadron pilots, "Hey," Lisa said and say him look a her, he barely registered her rank and she knew that he was a veteran, "have you seen Captain Hunter?" Lisa asked him and he nodded and pointed to the gym, Lisa thanked him and left.  
  
Lisa walked in to see Rick in the boxing ring with another pilot, whom as she got closer, could see was Aaron, she smiled, she liked Aaron, he was a good kid a kid who reminded her lot of herself at his age. She watched at Rick and Aaron went at each other and as Lisa watched she could see that neither one of them was getting the upped hand.  
  
Then she saw then back away and Rick's head turn and Lisa saw that he had seen her and had turned slightly to wave at her but the look on her face wasn't that of happiness, but that of a surprised look as Aaron's right hand made contact with Rick's face and sent him off to his left.  
  
Aaron smiled a bit, Rick had been distracted and now was his chance to end the fight by going ballistic on Rick and he started to hit Rick with his left/right hooks and jabs, but Rick responded faster then he had anticipated and he started to hit back and Aaron knew he had lost the fight, Rick was stronger than him and would be able to take a lot more punishment than he would, but Aaron wasn't going to give up and he kept swinging and jabbing.  
  
Rick was momentarily thrown by Aaron's right hook and that was all the time Aaron had needed to start to pummel Rick, but Rick got his own hands moving and using his greater strength and ability to take the shots he started to hit back, and hit back hard. Rick smiled as best he could, he had won the fight because Aaron had made a commitment to try and finish it here and Rick had come back faster than he had thought and now Rick was going to lay him out.  
  
Rick pulled back his right and swung with his left striking Aaron and sending him back, but Aaron too pulled back his right and it seemed that both Rick and Aaron hit each other at the same moment with their respective right hooks. Both men fell back onto the mat and neither one of them moved for a good minute and Lisa made her way to the ring and got in and stood over both of them and looked at them with a stern motherly look.  
  
"What am I going to do with you two? Hmm? I mean I get off working and I come to find you and here you are boxing with your brother and then I watch as you two pummel each other," Lisa said with a mocking exasperated tone. She smiled, she was glad to see that Rick was spending time with Aaron, seeing as how they were related.  
  
Rick was as surprised as anyone when he found out that he and Aaron were related, and they weren't cousins either, they were brothers. Rick had taken it with a cool head and didn't really know what to make of it, but as he asked Aaron he found out that Pop Hunter had sent Aaron to stay with his brother, Rick's uncle, Alec Hunter because Pop was always flying and his mother couldn't handle Rick due to her illness.  
  
But Lisa went to Aaron and helped him up and walked over to Rick and gave him a sigh and shook her head and walked away, "Hey, your not gonna help me up?" Rick pouted as Lisa walked away and got out of the ring, "No, get yourself up, I got to get home so we have something to eat," she said over her shoulder.  
  
Aaron still a bit lightheaded from the blows he had exchanged with Rick helped him up and on the spur of the moment spoke up, "Hey Rick, why don't you go with Lisa an I'll pick something up for us to have, I mean if that's ok with you," Aaron hesitated, Rick looked at Lisa and she looked at him and she nodded her head and Rick jumped out of the ring.  
  
Aaron watched them go and then remembered that he was going to have to find something to eat and quickly went over in his head what there was on the way to the residential military housing and quickly figured that he would get Italian, he was in a particularly Italian mood tonight and went to ring-side and got his cell phone and dialed the number for Ristorante Italiano Migliore and when the other line picked up he quickly rattled off his order for Penne Tomatoes Blue Cheese, Osso-Buco a la Milanaise, and Tiramisu and Kahlua, and as Aaron finished his order he got on a shirt and walked out of the gym.  
Aaron got to his car and started to make hi way to Ristorante Italiano Migliore, and before he knew it he was there and he closed the door to his car and walked in, "May I help you sir," the man said with an obvious practiced Italian accent, Aaron looked at him and just nodded and told him his name and the man checked the list, "That will be forty-five ninety-three," the man said and Jacob pulled out a fifty and handed it to the man.  
  
Another person came out with Aaron's food and Aaron realized that you can't have Italian without wine and looked at the selection and saw one that struck his fancy, "Oh and I'll take the Pinot Grigio," Aaron said and the man looked at him for second and seemed to shrug it off, "That'll be another thirty-five dollars, sir," the man said and Aaron pulled out more money and found that he was broke.  
'Well at least I'll eat good tonight,' Aaron though as he took the food and wine to the car and made his way to Rick's place, and when he got half way there he realized that he didn't know who's place they were at, so he drove by Rick's and saw that the lights were out so he drove onto Lisa's and saw that a few lights were dimmed.  
He grabbed the food and wine and closed and locked the car doors and made his way for the door and knocked on the door, he heard some shuffling and rolled his eyes, 'They could at least have waited till after dinner,' he thought. Lisa opened the door out of her uniform and into some night clothes, he looked a little beyond her and say Rick was too in night clothes, 'Must have clothes at each others houses,' Aaron smiled deviously.  
  
Lisa saw the smile and wasn't sure if she liked it and took the food from him and noticed in his left hand was a bottle of wine and she looked at him with a surprised look on her face that seemed to ask how a seventeen year old could have gotten wine.  
"I just asked him for it and he let me have it, after I paid him of course," Lisa shrugged, she didn't care she was hungry and she knew that Aaron had brought food and she was grateful to him for that. She took the food and set it on the table and smacked Rick in the head to wake him up.  
Rick woke with a start to see Aaron standing there still in his boxing sweats and a shirt that he had on earlier, "Oh man you are gonna smell, you didn't go home to change?" Rick asked. Aaron showed a toothy grin, "Well unlike you, I'd actually have to go home to get changed and cleaned up, I didn't get to go half way," Aaron said, and all that implied.  
  
Rick made a sour face, but didn't have it for long as Lisa plopped down next to him with a plateful of food and Rick made a unhappy face, "Hey, where's mine?" Rick asked. Lisa just ignored him and kept on eating and Rick was forced to get up and get his own food.  
Aaron stood off to the side and watched as Rick went and got some food and walked back to the couch and sat down next Lisa, and suddenly Aaron felt very out of place and decided that he would go, and made his way carefully for the door and got out of the house without being noticed.  
Aaron started his car and was thankful he had gotten a silent running care so the engine didn't make any noise as he started it up and he pulled away from the house and started down the road and after about fifteen minutes he got to his quarters he shared with a lazy technician who sat around all day. He walked in and saw that his roommate had left a mess as usual and started to clean up and after what seemed like forever finally got the house to a semblance of clean.  
Aaron looked around and saw that he still had the wine and went and opened it and took a drink from it, he made a face and let the taste fill his mouth, he took another drink and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV and was immediately put off by what he saw, there was Minmei singing a song on TV. He groaned he didn't really like Minmei; an he didn't like her singing.  
Aaron started to drink more from the bottle and felt himself calming down, he was about to fall asleep when he heard his telephone ring and looked at his watch, it was half past nine. He got to the phone and picked t up and said groggily into the receiver, "Hello?"  
Rick was on the other end of the phone, "Hey why'd you leave," he asked, "I thought you were going to stay." Rick said and Aaron smiled to himself, "I don't know, I felt very...out of place, I felt sorta like the third wheel," Aaron said truthfully, he heard Rick give a sigh and heard some aimless chatting with Lisa.  
"Well get your ass back over here," Rick said in a stern tone, but Aaron wasn't going anywhere, not now anyway, "Naw, that's ok I think I'll stay here and you know, live up the party by myself. Besides I am a little drunk and I'm tired an all I want to do it get wasted and go to sleep," Aaron said with a note of finality.  
But what Aaron hadn't noticed was that the phone had changed hands, and now it was Lisa on the line, "You are going to just get drunk alone, all by yourself in that house you share with that fat tech?" Lisa asked with a trace of exasperation rising in her voice. Aaron now after drinking a quarter of the bottle was losing his grip on himself and felt his faculties slipping away.  
"Yeah," Aaron said rather harshly not meaning too, "I do think I am going to get drunk, pass out, wake up tomorrow and drag myself through the whole day with a wonderful hangover," Aaron said now angry that he was being prodded, Lisa could tell that she wasn't getting anywhere with a drunk seventeen year old and that it was best to let it go.  
"Well, next time we won't let you go get food, cause if you're just gonna sneak out while we're not paying attention, how will we ever get to know you any better?" Lisa asked really trying to get to know Rick's only blood left alive. Aaron smiled, "Well, I dunno, can we talk about this some other time when I am in better shape for it, cause right now I don't know if I could talk like this for a long time."  
He listened for a minute and heard the click and hung up the phone and went back to the couch and corked the bottle back up. Aaron went to the bathroom showered, and went to bed, it had been a long day and now he was tired and all he wanted to do was go to bed and get ready for tomorrow.  
Aaron climbed into bed and just as he was about to fall asleep he heard a monstrous explosion and bolted up and ran to his door to see the smoke rising from a building not a few blocks down the road from him. Aaron shuttered, it was another suicide attack and he could see other groggy RDF personal start to make their way into the cold, cold night to help the survivors, and Aaron too found himself swept up in the rush to go and help.  
  
Aaron got to the building and saw that it had been an apartment complex and that it looked like it had had a been gashed down the middle due to the large opening running down the middle and the completely blown open rooms and the obvious bodies everywhere. The RDF personal started to work feverishly to help everyone they could from the fire, and as fire teams and rescue teams arrived, the RDF personal began to filter back to their homes, an for the second time in a month, Macross had been devastated by a terrorist attack.  
  
A/N: Ok, that chapter wasn't what I had been hoping for, but it is a filler for when I return the 8th of July and begin Chapter 12 of What If and Chapter 6 of Hopes and Dreams, and I promise the Bunnies, and Sterling's will make another appearance. An Admiral Gloval will be mentioned some more too. 


	6. Hopes and Dreams: VI

Hopes and Dreams  
  
In the wake of the suicide attacks on the residents of Macross City, the RDF found it's self on the defensive, and it wasn't the Zentraedi attacking either, it was the press and the media who were relentlessly pounding the actions of the RDF, saying that they were 'less interested in protecting the people as much as they were in completing their own fascist war schemes,' everyone knew who that was coming from.  
  
Lisa gave a groan as she watched the TV and saw Kyle's face again, berating the military and saying that all people in the service were baby killing monsters and if the people of earth really wanted peace that they would force the RDF to lay down their guns and co-exist with the Zentraedi.  
  
Sure that was easy for him to say, he wasn't the one on the front lines, having to make decisions that might possibly get people killed on a daily basis, and the more she thought, the more she began to wonder why he was so vehement against anyone in the military, and then she laughed.  
  
She was thinking back to a few days ago when Aaron and Rick had a chance encounter with Minmei and her cousin and Kyle threw a few insults at them and before Rick could do anything Aaron was moving on his way to lay Kyle out, but Rick managed to stop him before he got there and told him that he wasn't worth fighting.  
  
So Rick and Aaron left, leaving Kyle with a smug look, and Minmei with a sad expression having said nothing to Rick since he had left her and had chased after Lisa on Christmas Eve. Lisa knew that Minmei wasn't going to give up; she was biding her time and waiting for the right moment.  
  
Lisa turned off the TV having watched everything remotely interesting, but before she could turn it off something caught her eye. It was a special to be aired on the TV later that week, "Heroes" Lisa looked on and watched the short trailer, which didn't give away anything as to what it was going to be about except the "heroes" of our time.  
  
A grin spread over Lisa's face, she would have to remember to watch that, it looked interesting, not to mention she wanted to know who the "heroes" of our time were going to be and Lisa couldn't help but think of Rick again and again. He was a hero whether the show recognized him for it or not.  
  
Another smile crossed the face of Lisa Hayes in that short time, she has to go, damn the paper work it was all aggravating anyway, that's all she seemed to be doing lately: paperwork. She had thought she would help finish work on the SDF-2, but that, too, had been damaged by Khyron's raid, and badly.  
  
But instead she was here doing paperwork like a lonely worker in a big firm. As Lisa sat stooped in thought she stated to wonder if maybe she should try to get a big get together worked out with all her friends, Rick would be there, Claudia, the Terrible Trio, and maybe Aaron, she didn't know.  
  
Aaron was something special; she never quiet knew what to think of him ever. There were times when he behaved like a childish little kid and there were times when he was very mature and she was almost frightened by his dedication and zeal to his duty. It seemed to her that he was truly like a Spartan, ready and willing to serve and whatever order issued to him, a welcome change for a Hunter, who's brother was prone to not following orders.  
  
She liked the idea and she decided that she would do that, give them all a call and try and get it all in order, an then she remembered that one friend, one that she loved dearly, like a father, wouldn't be there. Admiral Gloval was still in a coma, and updated reports showed no signs of him coming out anytime soon.  
  
A single tear ran down her face and fell onto the paper in front of her, but she didn't care, the emotions that had been ignored and pent up for so long started to come out. Admiral Gloval, the closest thing to a father that she had left in her life was lying in a hospital unable to do anything for him.  
  
She didn't try and hold back the tears as they flowed freely by now, she let the tears fall and put her hands to her face. So many people had died, and Lisa felt the emotions burst out of her as she let out a sob. But she didn't notice her door open and a young lieutenant standing there with a shocked and sympathetic look on his face. This lieutenant was none other than Aaron.  
  
Lisa looked up and saw the boy standing there, folder in hand, she saw the look of shock and then the look of kindness and compassion in his face. He set down the folder and walked over to her, and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Lisa, err, I mean Admiral are you ok?" Aaron asked her.  
  
Lisa looked up at him with a tear-streaked face and felt suddenly ashamed of herself, here she was, the highest-ranking officer in the world crying in front of a lieutenant. But as she looked at his face more she saw that she could confide in him, and she gave him a smile and he smiled back.  
  
She settled down and told him why she was upset and all the while he sat there and listened, never saying a word just nodding his head and smiling, a true listener. When she finished up she looked at her watch and gave a sour smile. It was getting late and Rick was expecting her for dinner.  
  
Lisa sniffled once more and looked into her little compact mirror to make sure her eyes weren't puffy and put on her business face, "Now lieutenant, what was it you came to see me about?" Lisa asked him a slightly softer tone then she would normally have used.  
  
Aaron picked it up immediately and realized it was back to normal, "Well Admiral, you know all squadron names and colors and so forth have to be approved by a Colonel or higher, and none of the other officers could help and you were the last person I wanted to bother but you're the last person I can go see, and I was wondering, if it's not to much trouble if you could sign off on these?" Aaron asked timidly, as if he were a teenager trying to get a date.  
  
Lisa almost laughed at him, but she didn't. She didn't know what it must be like for him to have his brother's girlfriend be the Admiral, he had to receive a lot of flak from the others on how he achieved his position, and that Lisa could understand, her late father being an Admiral as well.  
  
Lisa looked at the paint scheme, Red and Black, rather cryptic colors, red being the trim and black being the base color. She looked at the symbol: a short sword behind a skull head with a roman war helmet on, and lastly she looked at the name: Praetorians. She smiled, he was fashioning his squadron after the Romans.  
  
She picked up a pen and sighed off on the papers and looked at Aaron, he smiled gratefully and took the folder, "Its getting late Admiral," Aaron said to her, "would you like me to give you a ride home?" Lisa looked at her own watch, it was late and she got up and grabbed her coat, "Yes thank you," Lisa said sweetly. Aaron smiled and walked her out the door turning the lights out after her.  
  
Aaron drove her home and all the while Lisa founder herself clutching the arm rests and asked herself why she had agreed to let a teenager, and a pilot, to drive her home, she must have been suicidal. But they finally did reach Rick's place and he walked her to the door like it was the end to a date and they were saying their good-bye's when Rick opened the door.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" Rick asked as he gave Lisa a hug and Aaron a pat on the back, "I was beginning to think that you weren't going to show up." Rick said his voice full of cheer. Aaron rolled his eyes and Lisa gave a playful giggle.  
  
"Well, your brother here has been treating me very nicely, we had a talk and then he drove me home and walked me to the door, like a perfect gentleman," Lisa told him and she saw Rick roll his eyes. Rick looked at his little brother and gave him a playful punch to the arm, "Hey are you hungry? Cause I have plenty if you want to stay and eat," Rick told him, hoping he would say yes so they could try and get to know more about him.  
  
Aaron shook his head and Rick inwardly sighed, his little brother was a mysterious one, true he was fun and could be cool to have around, but Rick knew so little about him and he desperately wanted to know more. But when Aaron told him that he had to go and pain his fighters and get them all ready for combat patrol tomorrow, Rick understood, and felt a bit angry. He was hoping to get the new pilots a little more experience before they went out.  
  
But again Rick gave a sigh; he knew that no amount of experience would ready a new pilot for the rigors and horrors of combat. He knew this from personal experience, and he remembered how he felt when he first went out and experienced his first bit of action.  
  
So Rick gave him a wave and watched as he walked back to his Lamborghini Murcielago, which Rick knew must have cost him a fortune with it's midnight purple exterior and gray interior. He watched as his brother gunned the engine and took off back for the RDF barracks.  
  
Rick ushered Lisa in and they sat down, and for the next hour they sat and chatted idly and ate the dinner Rick had made for them. Lisa looked up and saw Rick looking at her with a lost-in-thought look on his face.  
  
"Rick, what is it?" She asked him slightly concerned that he was thinking. He usually never thinks when they are together, which is one of the reasons it took him so long to see that she loved him.  
  
Rick looked at her, "What squadron is Aaron's going out with tomorrow?" Rick asked her, wanting to make sure his brother was going to be ok.  
  
Lisa gave a sigh and knew what Rick was driving at, "If you want your squadron to go with him, I can get that set up," Lisa told him between mouthful's.  
  
A smile crossed Rick's face, he wanted to make sure and be there for his brother when he went out on his combat patrol, seeing as how there was always combat on a patrol.  
  
Rick and Lisa finished up with their dinner and went and sat down and watched some TV, Lisa noticed Rick's thoughtful look again and again asked him if there was something the matter. Rick looked at her and shook his head and nuzzled up closer to her, and within moments, Rick was asleep in Lisa's arms. Lisa smiled and nuzzled up to him, she felt wonderful, and this was something she thought that she would never get to do with Rick.  
  
Rick awoke to the sound of his watch alarm going off and hit the silent button on it. He got up and walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower. He got out and quickly got on his flight suit and wrote a quick note for Lisa and laid it next to her, and kissed her one last time on the forehead as he left.  
  
As Rick made his way to the hangers he spied one of his brothers fighters and almost felt sick, they were red and black! They were going to be targets all over the sky in those horribly painted fighters. But Rick couldn't say anything; they had been signed off on.  
  
Rick jumped into his fighter and started the engines; he taxied his way out and noticed he was the last fighter to launch. He gunned the engines and felt himself rising off of the runway and into the sky.  
  
He met up with the rest of Skull and the Praetorians, as he found out his brothers outfit was called. As they met up they began to count off, half of Skull and half of Praetorian would go one way while the rest of the respective squadrons would go the other.  
  
Rick made sure that Aaron was with him and as he took command of his mixed unit, he saw his radar light up, he could hear the automated threat counter tell him that at least three dozen were heading there way Rick blanched, they were in for a helluva first time.  
  
A/N: Action right from the get go in the next chapter, I do hope you enjoyed this, less than normal chapter, but I will atone. R&R! 


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